Lavoisier suddenly became even more excited—the Crown Prince was thinking of integrating the entire academic world of France.
No, if this system of standard units were established, it might even integrate the academic communities of Europe!
Joseph, however, still seemed unsatisfied, “After the unification of measurement units, the Standards Committee will still have a lot of work to do.
“For instance, establishing national industrial standards—such as the hardness and strength of steel, the purity of liquids, the specifications for bolt interfaces, the wheel gauge of carriages, and so on, letting every aspect of industrial production have rules to follow.
“Even the tools used by craftsmen in various trades could be standardized. Craftsmen across the country could quickly get the right tools…”
As he continued to speak, Lavoisier’s eyes grew wider and wider. He could feel that with each sentence the Crown Prince uttered, the foundation of France’s academia and industry was becoming more and more solid!
He suddenly interrupted Joseph, “Your Highness, I think I should call Mr. Lagrange, Mr. Monge, and the others here to listen to your grand plan.
“Perhaps, today, right here, we can officially establish the ‘French Standards Committee’!” Read new chapters at mvl
…
By nightfall, France’s top scientists yawned as they left Lavoisier’s home.
When they reached the door, they stopped, turned around, and bowed to say farewell to the Crown Prince.
Joseph himself was rather tired, but he still warmly greeted everyone, “I ask you all to come to the Palace of Versailles tomorrow, and we shall continue to discuss the matters of the ‘Standards Committee’.”
Lagrange, Monge, Condorcet, and others hurriedly bowed in agreement before departing, each of them reflecting in their hearts that, while they had always felt the Academy of Sciences moved too slowly, the Crown Prince’s push for this initiative was a tad too hurried…
It would have been better if the two could average out.
Joseph, having bid farewell to Lavoisier, was about to get into his carriage when he suddenly remembered something and said to the chemist, “Mr. Lavoisier, I have some advice for you.
“Although the tax farmer business yields considerable profits, it also comes with many minor issues that can take up a lot of your research time. Moreover, the government might be planning to abolish the tax farming system, so you might consider giving up this business early.”
He mentioned this to Lavoisier because the tax reform might very likely destroy the interests of the tax farmer class, and Lavoisier would inevitably also suffer losses.
“Ah? This…” Lavoisier appeared troubled, although the Crown Prince had spoken, he still was reluctant to give up the annual income of nearly eighty thousand livres.
Joseph continued, “You needn’t worry about the income. Once the production of fulminate mercury begins, I also plan to invest in some chemical industry projects. Then, you could take a share in the industry with your expertise. I can assure you that you will earn much more than you do from tax farming.”
Refining coal tar, producing fertilizers, synthesizing chemical dyes, and so on, these were all chemical industries that had a profound impact on the Industrial Revolution and could bring in tremendous profits. Now that Joseph had the card of Lavoisier and his wife, he naturally would not miss out on these industries.
Lavoisier’s eyes lit up, to be honest, compared to the tax farming business, which dealt with the common folks all day, he preferred to devote himself to chemical projects.
He immediately bowed sincerely and thanked him, “I am grateful for your generosity, Your Highness. May God bless you!”
…
After the conclusion of Paris Charity Week, the Paris Fashion Week series of events, which had lasted for the better part of a month, officially came to an end.
The Parisians felt as if they had just lived through a long festival, busy and tense, but everyone had gained substantial benefits from this grand event.
Just by renting out rooms to visiting tourists, a large number of Paris households earned more than their usual monthly income.
What went unnoticed, however, was that beneath the foreign tourists’ praise of Paris and Fashion Week, their self-confidence and pride were greatly boosted.
Meanwhile, in the Port of Marseille, two ordinary merchant ships and one armed merchant ship, escorted by the Royal Navy’s Escort Ship “Twin Wings,” slowly set sail for the Mediterranean.
The merchant ships flew the Russian flag, with “Gemini Trading Company” painted on their hulls. However, aside from a few Russian advisors, the crew, from the captain to the sailors, were either French or Italian.
The cargo holds were primarily filled with wine and brandy, along with some mid-range garments, and other goods like cosmetics and paper.
Their destination was Cremea in the Black Sea. By the time they arrived there, the people of Count Poplinsky had already prepared a large quantity of flax and iron, ready to be loaded onto the ships.
Although small in scale, this caravan’s voyage was filled with symbolic meaning—the beginning of a new chapter in Russo-French trade.
…
Mala, wearing a grey short coat and an old felt hat, glanced at the door number and knocked on the door.
The door cracked open, and a pair of brown eyes peeped out, followed by a snicker from the owner, “Ha, who do I think it is. If it isn’t the government’s lapdog. You’re not welcome here!”
Mala blocked the door and said with a serious tone, “No matter what you think, I swear, I am forever the friend of the people.”
The homeowner’s tone was full of sarcasm, “Oh, indeed, after all, the Secret Police can sort of be counted as the people. You can declare your noble friendship with the government’s salary.”
“I’ve said it many times,” Mala said somewhat indignantly, “the place I work at is called the Justice Investigation Department, not the Secret Police! I’m conducting investigations, but I’m investigating corrupt officials. I’ve never done anything harmful to the people!”
The person inside seemed to relax a bit, “Alright, Mr. Justice, in any case, you should still leave.”
But Mala, without another word, forcefully opened the door and stepped inside, saying to the dumbfounded middle-aged man, “Do you know? If you send me away now, that would really harm the interests of countless Parisians.”
“Oh? Don’t slander me. I’ve never done such a thing.”
Mala closed the door behind him and skillfully pulled the man into the room, “You think I want to work for the government? Of course not!
“But if I can use the government’s power to help more ordinary people, then I must do so. Plus, the Crown Prince is completely different from those bloodsucking nobility…”
He waved his hand dismissively, “Forget it, let’s get to the point. Do you know how much money the guy I’m currently investigating has embezzled?”
The middle-aged man with brown eyes spread his hands, “500,000 livres? Or 800,000?”
Seeing Mala shake his head, he snorted lightly, “Could it be a million?”
“No, you guessed wrong,” Mala slowly said, “the amount he embezzled might exceed 10 million livres…”